Orange & Purple

Orange and purple? In your home? What? 

There are colour combinations that are easy to work with. The orange and purple combo is not one of them. 

So I thought this unusual combination (a combination not exactly easy on the eye) deserves an extravagant setting. I made sure that purple is the main colour, its slightly toned down shade forming striking contrast with the vibrant orange on accent furniture. I also added black - shiny black on a slim chair. I felt that furhter contrast is needed, so to counterbalance the glam, a cowhide rug and a wooden table found its way to the moodboard. 

I agree that it is not everyone's cup of tea, but I just can not think of a better styling for such a dominant colour combination. 

Color Combination: Blue and Orange

Some people like colours in the room, others completely avoid them. These people usually say that you will get bored with colours soon. I disagree. You just get accustomed to it, and it can happen to any colour scheme. So do not be afraid to express you personality with colour. Just use them wisely. 

This is the second moodboard in the colour combo series. As you might know, blue and orange can be found on the opposite parts of the colour wheel and called complementary colours or opposite colours. They are very powerful together, especially when used intensively, so the key to a stylish look is the smart proportioning of colours. I would suggest playing with bright vibrant tones with muted ones, as it is easier on the eye. Bright orange sliding door could look fantastic against darker, toned down shades of blue on less extensive surfaces, like cushions or chairs for instance. You can use lots of neautrals - they will emphasize the striking colour clash. 

For this colour combination, I had the image of an airy, lofty interior on my mind, with lots of white and streamlined furniture. There are actually many possible variations, let's see a couple of them:

- Take a bright orange sofa, white furniture, blue rug and lots of neutrals. If you use this mixture as a jumping off point, I would suggest a grey armchair. Some parts of the wall could be painted blue, or you can use blue backsplash or blue dining chairs. 

- If you are unsure about the orange sofa, why don't you pick a grey one? Add an orange armchair - this one is by Arne Jacobsen, the famous Swan -, blue rug and some small blue accessories. The dining chairs could be also white, and in the photo a huge sliding door reflects the colour of the armchair. 

- If you are still undecided, you could play with the accesories only. Settle for the blue rug, and use orange in small proportions: on a piece of art, a splash of colour in the paining, etc. You can play with various tones of one colour - using faded blue rug with electrifying turquoise could have a huge impact. 

I can imagine artistic objects, graphic lines for this style, it has certainly a contemporary edge. For real persons with real character.